Together LA County
can stop the Fentanyl crisis

The drug supply in our community has changed. Fentanyl is now being laced into all types of street drugs and in counterfeit pills. That means if it wasn’t prescribed by a doctor, or from a US pharmacy, there’s a 7 in 10 chance it’s laced with fentanyl.

#1 cause of accidental death for 18- to 45-year-olds is illicit fentanyl

20.4 million counterfeit pills seized, most laced with illicit fentanyl

92% of teen overdose deaths caused by fentanyl

Fentanyl is dangerous and it’s popping up everywhere

Illicit fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that’s getting laced into street-bought drugs and counterfeit pills. It’s common enough that anyone, anywhere in LA County, can be affected by fentanyl-laced pills or powders.

Can you tell if drugs are cut with fentanyl?

Short answer: No. Drugs can change hands on average 10 times before reaching you, and there’s no way to see, smell, or taste if they’ve been laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl test strips need to be used correctly in order for them to be reliable. Even if you follow the instructions, remember that they are not always 100% accurate, fentanyl can still be found in the parts you didn’t test, and the test strips don’t show how much is in it.

Why are people overdosing?

It doesn’t take much to overdose. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. This means as little as a few salt-sized grains of fentanyl can kill you. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is an FDA-approved medication prescribed by doctors for pain relief.

When used as directed by your doctor, it is normally safe. However, street-bought fentanyl manufactured illicitly is not safe. The illicit version is mixed into street drugs or used in counterfeit pills and powders. This illicit fentanyl is responsible for the vast majority of fentanyl-related overdoses.

What type of drugs are being laced?

The changes to the supply are wide-scale. It’s getting cut in almost every type of drug because it’s up to 20x cheaper to make.

Oxycodone

Oxys, M30s, Blues, M-boxes

Percocet^®

Perc 30s, Jumps, Skittles, O.C Dirty Birds

Benzos

Benzodiazepines, Bars, Bricks

Xanax^®

Xanies, Zanbards, Z-bars

Adderall^®

Addies, Bennies, Speed, Truck Drivers

Cocaine

Coke, Crack, Bump, Blow

Meth

Glass, Ice, Speed, Tina

Heroin

Dope, Smack, H, Junk

Overdose isn’t always obvious

Know the signs

Overdose can be easy to miss because the signs aren’t always obvious. In many cases, it can look like they’re sleeping. That’s why it’s important to know what to look for and how to respond. In any situation, you should call 911 immediately if someone is exhibiting ANY of these symptoms because an overdose can be life-threatening in minutes.

Breath

struggling to breathe or not breathing

Sounds

snoring or gurgling as they breathe

Can’t Wake

unresponsive or can’t wake up

Heart

slows down or stops

Call 911 – an overdose can become life-threatening within minutes.

Together LA County can stop the Fentanyl crisis